If you've read the previous books in the Iron Fey series, you need to read this book. If you haven't, I'll be blunt and say that this probably won't bIf you've read the previous books in the Iron Fey series, you need to read this book. If you haven't, I'll be blunt and say that this probably won't be the best book to start off with. Since this is the start of a new arc within the series there is a little going back over of back story to where you might not be completely lost, but you'll definitely feel like you missed out on a huge chunk of story. This means that you won't enjoy it as much otherwise.
I have to say that I'm glad that the story changed narrators. I liked Meghan and she was a likable heroine, but I'll admit that I was getting a little tired of her at times and I wanted to see a fresh angle for this story from another mortal's eyes. I know that Iron Knight was Ash's story, but I wasn't as happy with that as I wanted to be. We're given new characters, new situations, and best of all: new fae. Ethan is a moody and sometimes bullheadedly stubborn character. You won't know whether you want to smack him upside the head or agree with him. He's a jerk to a good many people, but for pretty good reason. Ethan hasn't had it easy since his sister took off to be the Iron Queen. (Although neither has she, I'd wager.)
Kenzie, his potential love interest in the book is nice, although at times Kagawa is a little overly obvious that she has A Hidden Secret about her that will eventually be revealed. No worries though, as it actually explains a lot about some of the character's drive throughout the novel, even though I was expecting it to be slightly different. Also given a fair amount of time to shine is a new character, Kierran. Readers will be able to guess at his part in the story and why he's associating with Ethan somewhat easily, but the point of this is less to surprise the reader and more to set up the plot for the next book. (I can't say much without spoiling this, but there's been forshadowing about this previously in the series.)
I'll admit that occasionally there were some things in here that kept it from being absolutely perfect. Every once in a while I got a little impatient because things seemed to take a little longer than I'd like and sometimes the characters just seemed a little overly quick to jump to one thing or another. Despite her later reveals, Kenzie just seemed to jump to certain choices a little quickly, although I'm sure that this will probably be a plot point further in the series. This isn't really any big failing on Kagawa's part, mind you. This is the type of thing that I feel is completely subjective to the reader in this case.
Overall this book is pretty freaking nifty. It's a marked improvement over Iron Knight and I found it really, really hard to put this book down once I started reading it. If not for the demands of work and non-book life, I'd probably have devoured this in one sitting. This is an absolute must read for anyone who loved the earlier books in the series. It just stinks that now we have so long to wait until the next book in the series comes out. (Although on a positive note, 2013 will have us receiving book 2 in both this new arc as well as in Kagawa's Blood of Eden series. So the wait will be rewarded greatly.)
I'd been saving this book as something to look forward to after finals. It seemed like exactly the type of fluffy read that I crave after hours of pouI'd been saving this book as something to look forward to after finals. It seemed like exactly the type of fluffy read that I crave after hours of pouring over stiff and serious academic textbooks. I was very pleased to find that not only did it give me exactly what I was hoping for, it gave me more.
The book is written by Carol Goodman, author of several mysteries and thillers, but for some reason this was released under a pseudonym. The original title of this was [[ASIN:B005VQFQMU Incubus]], so if you're one of the people who got the UK release, this is the same book. (Just want to make sure that nobody picks up the same book by mistake!)
While this is shelved as a paranormal romance, I was pretty enthused to see that like others have said, it does tend to take on more of an urban fantasy feel at times. The sizzling hot sex scenes are what really reminds us of its PNR classification and I'm glad to say that the sex scenes are chock full of chemistry and sexy goodness. They're well written, which is good since a poorly written or even worse, boring sex scene can absolutely ruin a book and its tone. It's the smaller elements of this book that really make it come to life, such as the iron mice (Ralph!) and the magical creatures that abound in Fairwick, both known and unknown. I'm really hoping that some of my more favorite characters (such as a certain vampiric professor) will show up and be fleshed out more in the future volumes. He's just a good example of one of those characters that aren't really dwelled upon in the books but you can't help but get drawn to them nonetheless.
The only drawbacks is that at times I kind of felt like reaching into the book and giving our heroine a good hard shove for being a little overly oblivious to everything. Some of it I could rationalize or overlook, but some of the bigger plot elements were so obvious that they all but had a neon sign blinking "sinister" or "obvious plot point" over their heads. Normally I wouldn't really be so picky about this, but I really enjoyed this book and the details here are so rich that I can't help but hold it to a higher standard.
Overall this is an absolute treat to read and I really, REALLY can't wait to read the next book in the series. (I might even have to look into importing the next book if the UK ends up getting it before we do.) It's the first part in a trilogy, so I'm pretty enthused about all of this being self-contained and not going on for umpteen million volumes. (Although it seems like the type of thing that the author could go back and revisit once the trilogy is over, however.) This is just a really fun book that I know fans of Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris, and Sherrilyn Kenyon will probably like....more
So far I've found that this series is sort of hit or miss. For every volume that's absolutely great (My Boyfriend Bites), there's a volume that's someSo far I've found that this series is sort of hit or miss. For every volume that's absolutely great (My Boyfriend Bites), there's a volume that's somewhat mediocre. This volume falls under the mediocre category.
One of the most distracting aspects of this story really had to be the artwork. The quality of it just wasn't very consistent. On one page it would be very well done and on the next you'd see proportions that just weren't very realistic or feasible. There was one panel where our heroine Bethany was giving a solid kick to one of our villains and her leg and foot seemed to be unnaturally twisted. It made it look a little malformed, as if she'd broken it. The only thing about the artwork that seemed to stick to the same level of quality was the backgrounds, which were generally very well illustrated. This was just really disappointing to see since one thing the previous volumes did have in common was some decent artwork. I just couldn't help but think that the artist's work detracted from the story.
I can't blame everything on the artist, however. The basic gist of the storyline is decent. Girl meets fae boy. (I'd consider this a spoiler except the cover pretty much shows that he's a faerie.) Despite this being a pretty common story element, there's a lot you can do with this and I can't help but think that the delivery felt a little flat. I never really felt like the characters came to life for me and to be honest, neither did the chemistry between our lead characters.
There are some nice things about this volume, such as the section of the book that was in full color. It was a smart move and it did pay off well. It was one of the better sections of the book story and art wise. Parts of this book showed me that this really wanted to be a better story than what it was and I wish that it could have been.
If you're looking to read this, I'd recommend getting it from the library. This just wasn't one of the strongest offerings in the MBIAM series. Read it first via the library and then decide if you want to buy it for further re-readings or save up and wait on the next book in the series.
(Note: This review was originally based on the first two issues, but I've since read the full volume and the ratings stand.)
Wow. Just wow. Richelle Me(Note: This review was originally based on the first two issues, but I've since read the full volume and the ratings stand.)
Wow. Just wow. Richelle Mead has been on my list of authors to check out so Sea Lion Book's offer to preview one of her comics was pretty exciting. After all, thousands of screaming fans must mean that she's doing something right, right? Well, those thousands of screaming fans have to check out the graphic novel adaptation of the first book in her Dark Swan series because then they'll have a little something to scream extra loud about. Storm Born is a perfect example of what you should do as far as book to comic goes. I haven't read the books (although that's going to change very, very quickly) so I'm not sure if there's any big alterations from the novel, but this was easy to get into and follow along with. I absolutely love-love-LOVE the artwork. It's so beautifully done. It doesn't hurt that I love artwork of redheads. Hamann does a very good job of bringing the characters here to life. Some of the artwork reminds me of the comic series Fables, which is a good thing considering the quality of work you see in it.
Sea Lion Books was gracious enough to allow me to post some of the covers as well as a few pages from the comics. Eugenie (aka Odile) has such wonderful expressions that it's easy to get wrapped up in the story. I do have to warn that there are some adult situations in this volume, although they are very tactfully done. You won't see any full nudity in these comics and any "extracurricular activities" aren't overly graphic. Parents might want to preview this before handing it over to their teens, but this is rather tame in comparison to some of the things seen in other graphic novels out in the market. (Although there is a risk to teens of getting their libraries raided so the parent in question can read the novel format of Storm Born and find out what happens next.)
Story-wise, my curiosity is piqued. There's been a lot of different things in the urban fantasy world, but shamans are rather under-represented. Necromancers or witches? Plenty. Shamans? Not so much. There's a lot of room for Mead to expand in & showcase Eugenie's talents in this series.
So far I've got my theories as to what's going on with certain characters, but I'll have to wait until I finish the graphic novel or book to find out. I'm also sort of predicting some future romantic entanglements, or perhaps it's just wishful thinking on my part. (Eugenie's roommate is pretty intriguing.)
My two issues ended on a very big cliffhanger so I'm really looking forward to reading the full volume when it comes out in October. I've been informed that volume 1 will cover the first half of Storm Born, with volume 2 completing the novel.
Fans of Mead will also be happy to know that her much loved Vampire Academy series has also gotten the graphic novel treatment, with the first book coming out this August.
5 out of 5 stars
(Reader copies provided by Sea Lion Books)
Edit:
I've read the full volume now, and it is awesome. So awesome, that I ended up deciding to purchase the volume itself from Amazon only seconds after finishing my review. (So I guess my reviews do work to help sell books!) Still five stars, all the way....more
I've been eagerly awaiting this comic for a long time & now that I have it in my hands I have to say that the experience is both underwhelming & betteI've been eagerly awaiting this comic for a long time & now that I have it in my hands I have to say that the experience is both underwhelming & better than I expected. I'll review this in two parts, one for the artwork and one for the story since I kind of reacted to the two a little differently.
ARTWORK:
I have to admit that not everyone came across the way I expected them to. The artist did an incredible job adapting this to comic format but at times I don't think he really *got* the characters. The drawings are beautiful but I really got the feeling that the artist hadn't read the source novels (instead reading a cliff notes version) & because of that, he didn't really bring that deeper level to the characters. It's possible to do since I've seen some good GN adaptations out there but it just wasn't done here. (I assume that he didn't read the source novels because the book did have the artist's initial character sketches & he was pretty off with quite a few of the characters. He initially wanted to give Piscary hair & make him into a skinny white guy, for pete's sake.) Where the artist did get it right was with Rachel's character. I loved the artwork for her. When it comes to others such as Ivy, well... let's just say that it doesn't come close to capturing her depth, grace, or beauty.
STORY:
The story here is pretty light but it's still pretty darn good. It's nice to see how our dynamic duo met & I have to admit that my Ivy/Rachel shipping flared up again with this story. The story I have no problem with, although I wish it was just a little meatier at times. Maybe it's just the comic adaptation and/or that I enjoyed Pale Demon so much it set the bar very high, but I didn't get the glow that I normally do from reading a Hollows book.
It's still a good story & the artwork is captured better than the current state of the Anita Blake comics* (although that's not saying much). I'm still interested to see the next few volumes, although I'll probably wait for this to hit paperback rather than pre-ordering the hardback. As for everyone else, I suggest checking this out via the library or your local bookstore before plunking down the money for the hardcover.
3/5
*Although to be fair, the first volume or two of the Anita Blake series did do a good job at the artwork. It's just fallen into a steady decline since then. ...more
It's coming down to the wire now, folks. After this book there's only 2 more books left to the series, with the potential of a bonus book afterwards. It's coming down to the wire now, folks. After this book there's only 2 more books left to the series, with the potential of a bonus book afterwards. I ended up getting this through eBay and I have to say, it was money well spent. Harrison is worth spending money on.
Things are heating up in this book and I mean that in multiple ways. First off, the tensions between the Inderlanders and certain factions of humanity are heating up. There's always been a portion of humanity that hated the Inderlanders and wanted them wiped off the face of the earth, so it's no surprise that Harrison would eventually revisit this idea. What's being done in this book is actually pretty chilling, and HAPA (Humans Against Paranormals Association) is a pretty lethal force here. I've never wanted to reach through a book and slug someone as much as I did in this book.
Secondly, things are heating up between Trent and Rachel. I know that none of us forgot the kiss from Pale Demon, and neither has Rachel. Her hormones are kicking in big time, but I'll warn you: there's not a lot of progress on this front in either direction, but then any progress is good progress. I have a feeling that whatever might ultimately come out of this relationship, it'll probably happen in book 12 and not a page sooner. There is some friendship brewing here, which is good since Rach needs someone who can keep up with her and understand where she's coming from. But regardless of whether or not they end up in a relationship, the tension between the two is so palpable that I'm beginning to think that they'll have to end up in bed together just to relieve it and get it over with. However, there's also the introduction of another potential interest in this book, although I'm not sure what chances he'll have against the Rachel/Trent combo. (Then again, I'm a fangirl of Rachel and Trent, so I tend to think this way about any other guy that comes into her life.)
There's a definite feel of loose ends beginning to get tied up and it's a good feeling. Harrison might have had a bit of a slump mid-series, but this is the Hollows that I fell in love with early on in the series and couldn't get enough of. It's good enough to make me want to re-read the series and is a worthy successor to Pale Demon. Oh, and the minor characters in this book rock. Hard. We finally see Rachel get her pack tattoo (a mild spoiler, but one we all knew was coming) and her tattoo artist is interesting enough to get a spinoff book of her own. (A tattoo artist that works on Inderlanders and humans? There's some material for you right there!)
And before anyone asks, yes Al is in this book. And of course he's awesome. Al is always awesome, even when you want to punt kick him across the room. His interactions with Rachel- and especially his last actions of the book- make me wonder where Harrison is going to go with his character next. There's a lot of potential here for him to be bad in the future, all with incredibly interesting results. I honestly can't wait for the next book to come out so I can see what'll happen next.
If you loved the last book, you'll really love this one. It's a fun ride and I had a blast reading this book.
It doesn't matter how you like your supernatural tales. Modern, retro, a touch of gothic... there's a little bit of everything in this collection of sIt doesn't matter how you like your supernatural tales. Modern, retro, a touch of gothic... there's a little bit of everything in this collection of short stories. Just don't be surprised when you end up going back over some of the stories just to figure out everything, though.
Dark Horse has really outdone itself with this book. Like I said above, you'll find a lot to like in this collection. You'll find some stories that you'll just go batty over, others that you won't be able to peel your eyes away from. I have to admit that I wasn't expecting some of the resolutions here in these stories & I love that they threw me for a loop. It's no fun when you can predict everything that happens & you don't get that here. The Absent Eye ended up being one of my favorite stories & I just really hope that the author (Brian Evenson) does more with this story. It (like some of the others) had a lot of potential to be developed into one or several books.
However, as is the case with any collection of stories, you'll find the ones that you just weren't into. I have to admit that I just wasn't drawn into Caitlin Kiernan's short story, although I will admit that it was well written. (I can either take or leave her stuff.) Others were just a little too surreal for my tastes.
There was more here that I liked than disliked, so I highly recommend that you try this book out. It'll probably end up being overlooked by many, but this really is an excellent collection of stories.
Reading this graphic novel took me back to when I used to religiously watch my taped seasons of Buffy, hanging onto each & every thing that happened. Reading this graphic novel took me back to when I used to religiously watch my taped seasons of Buffy, hanging onto each & every thing that happened. I mourned when Oz & Willow broke up, when Angel went evil, & when Tara was killed. I've followed the comic sporadically but due to empty-wallet-itis & the fact that my local library is unable to keep entire collections of graphic novels on the shelves (they either get stolen or shredded after a year of circulation), I've been unable to really read the comic compilations like I've wanted to.
This was worth the wait, in my opinion.
I absolutely loved the artwork the first time I'd read this as it was getting released in individual issues, & that hasn't changed. I love how the artists interpreted the actors' looks into the comic without it being too obviously "this is Sarah Michelle Gellar" or "this is Allyson Hannigan". The characters individual personalities are very much brought into the artwork & it shows. (And Willow continues to be my favorite Buffy character ever.)
It'd been a while since I'd last watched Buffy or refreshed myself on the storyline so I'm glad to say that you can pretty much dive into this with little to no issues. People who are new to Buffy will be understandably lost, but the story here has enough to offer to where they can follow along & catch up via the internet & old episodes. I'll admit that I was a little afraid that this would be some cheap ploy to dive into the fandom's pockets, but this really is a well done comic adaptation. Luckily Netgalley has many more of the volumes up for perusal, so I'll let you guys know if any of this changes.
It's hard not to approach another Iron Fey book with a little excitement & anticipation. The last book in the series left us with a lot of odds & endsIt's hard not to approach another Iron Fey book with a little excitement & anticipation. The last book in the series left us with a lot of odds & ends tied up, but with just enough unresolved plot to make another book a natural progression in the series. (BTW, there's going to be another series set after this book following Meghan's younger brother Ethan!) How could we not be interested in a book following Ash as he tries to find a way to be with Meghan?
I'll admit that the change in narrative voices was a little hard to get used to, even though I knew to expect it. It's just not the same, seeing about the fae world through the eyes of a native & part of what I enjoyed about Meghan's narrative is that everything was so new to her. Luckily for me the book's plot would involve Ash going to places that are new & relatively unheard of even to Ash, so this never really interfered with my enjoyment of the book. It made it a little slow to get into, but this was still a very readable & enjoyable book.
It's just I just couldn't relate to Ash as a character like I could Meghan. I could read the book & be entertained, but I just didn't get as good of a "book high" with this read as I wanted to. I was able to get used to Ash's voice but I still couldn't get as excited as I wanted to be. I can't help but feel that there will probably be a few people who will read this book & be disappointed that this just doesn't have the "snap bang!" that the previous books did. There will be those who will devour this book whole & love it as much as the previous books, but I can't help but think that this book just felt a little pale in comparison to the rest of the series.
There is, however, enough interesting material brought up in this book to where readers will still be waiting for when Kagawa starts in on Ethan's story. The ideas brought up in this book as well as the possibilities of a few of the characters introduced were intriguing & despite a few reservations with Iron Knight, I still feel pretty invested in the series enough to want to pick up the next book Kagawa puts out in this universe.
I recently finished the first book of this series & jumped into the second one a few days later. Needless to say, I loved this book enough to read it I recently finished the first book of this series & jumped into the second one a few days later. Needless to say, I loved this book enough to read it on the sly when I was working at the bookstore this past weekend.
What did I like about this? I liked that so many things from the previous book were brought in & followed up on, such as a particular memory that Meghan had stolen from her. It made for great reading. Also good was how the book dealt with the whole love triangle between Meghan, Ash, & Puck. I'm not going to spoil anything, but let me just say that it was refreshing to see how it was played out.
I just wish that I'd read the mini-book that takes place between book 1 & book 2. I was able to read this without having any gaping holes in the storyline but I really felt like I was missing out on a little story that would have made this all that much better....more
Witches have always been one of my favorite things to read about, so when I finally got a chance to get a copy of Hex Hall I figured that the odds areWitches have always been one of my favorite things to read about, so when I finally got a chance to get a copy of Hex Hall I figured that the odds are good I'd like this book. I'm going to have to say that this was wrong. I didn't like this book. I freaking LOVED this book.
First I have to give a disclaimer. The general plot of the book isn't really all that original. Just like countless books in YA UF, it deals with a young girl who discovers she has magic, mean rivals, hunky love interests, & quirky friends. Some readers might note that the book tends to borrow quite heavily from Harry Potter from time to time, especially the "magic school in the middle of nowhere" scenario. (Although Hawkins is fully aware of this & plays on those similarities quite often.)
Despite that, this book managed to draw me in fairly easily & I was able to finish this book in one sitting. I liked that Sophie was neither a gritty "purposely go after the mean girls" type of character, nor was she the type that would go out of her way to hide from or ingratiate herself to her tormenters. Basically put, she was a fairly realistic character (I say fairly because hey, she's got magical powers) that I could imagine sitting at the desk in an average high school.
I do wish that there was a bit more detail here & there (describing the teachers, classes, expanding the characters of Sophie's rivals, etc), but overall I really loved reading this book & the various one liners throughout it. It was just fun to read. It might be a little on the fluffy side, but I'm already putting in an order for the next book in the series. ...more
It's really hard to get into faerie books after reading Holly Black & Melissa Marr's stuff. They've upped the ante, giving us the strange and fantastiIt's really hard to get into faerie books after reading Holly Black & Melissa Marr's stuff. They've upped the ante, giving us the strange and fantastical creatures of myths & legends, but with a new twist. As such, their books are the golden standards that everyone else has to live up to. While there are quite a few good faerie books out there, they don't fully measure up to these two. The Iron King comes pretty darn close, though.
I'll admit that Meghan isn't really a "take charge, kick butt" type of girl for a good chunk of the book. She's a brave character, but much of the book has her relying on others to keep her from harm. This actually works out well as far as I'm concerned. Someone who just discovered that faeries exist shouldn't immediately turn into a prodigy or become all that accustomed to the world. Meghan is a nice mixture of "getting used to everything" & "gawking newbie".
The story was a decent one. The plot really isn't anything new (girl goes to save a younger brother, discovers she's half-fae, etc), but Kagawa really is talented at turning a phrase & I literally sped through this book as fast as I could. The book does end on a cliffhanger, but luckily the second book is already out for your reading pleasure. (Which is now going on my 'to read' list.)
Bottom line is that this book is a darn good read & if you're into stuff like Black & Marr, you'll probably like this one as well. ...more
I've been eagerly awaiting the end to this series for quite some time now & when my bookstore got its copies in, I was one of the first to grab a copyI've been eagerly awaiting the end to this series for quite some time now & when my bookstore got its copies in, I was one of the first to grab a copy to read. I have to admit that my expectations for this were extremely high & I'll admit that it didn't quite fulfill all of them. It did, however, keep me entertained & happy enough to give it the 4 star rating that I did. (Well, 3.6 rounded up to 4.)
This book pretty much dives into the action immediately, so if you haven't read any of the previous books in the series or have skipped any, you'll be completely left out. This book kind of expects that you've read the previous books- especially Radiant Shadows- in order to see how some things in this book are done. (No spoilers, but after finishing this I realize why RS was the way it was.)
I'll admit that a few of the actions in this book were a little anti-climactic to me (probably because I've been anticipating them so much), but they were still pretty cool. We get a portion of this book from Keenan's POV, which I was surprised to find that I rather liked. He's been such a royal PITA for most of the series & it was surprising to see that part of his actions towards Ash was due to her waffling over him & Seth. (Even if only waffling very slightly.)
The ending was pretty cool as well. No spoilers over what happens, but it was pretty well done. The Irial/Niall dynamics were the best part of the book & I have to admit that I could have had an entire book just about the two of them & been happy about it. There's a definite ending to all of this, but Marr left enough open to where she could return to this later on if she so chose....more
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